MRS BIG conferenceMay 2014

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Our industry is not obsessed enough by the new

Our brains are wired to be biased against the new!

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Status quo biasWe fear change; it’s easier to stick with

what we know

Herd instinctWe prefer to

follow and copy what we think

others are doing

AnchoringWe look for anchor / reference points to

adjust from

Sunk cost fallacyWe continue

investing when we have already

invested

HeuristicsOur brains use shorts cuts and heuristics to be

cognitively efficient

Confirmation bias

We only see what we believe

It is NOT the Emperor’s new clothes…

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If research is fundamentally about understanding and

influencing behaviour

Then we have learnt more about the science of

behaviour and behavioural change in the last five years

than in the previous 145!

Behavioural and cognitive psychology is on fire

Behavioural Economics

Neuroscience / brain science

Cognitive psychology Behavioural Science

…it’s the Emperor’s new SPACESUIT!

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A more scientific approach to how we think about behaviour and how we design research

New frameworks and concepts to understand the blueprint of current behaviour

but also how to change it

Science is on our side

This new deeper behavioural & psychological understanding challenges…

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How we structure research methodologies and analyses

The questions we ask…and how we ask them

Pushes us to think hard about how to surface the true subconscious drivers of

behaviour

Makes us aware of the subconscious power of

concepts such framing and priming…

But more importantly behaviourally led research

harnessing BE…

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Directs and inspires us…

Delivers more direct ways to change behaviour - more actionable output – more connection to the bottom

line £££ [ethereal / attitudinal research]

Also encourages a more experimental mindset, more scientific approaches

To think more about the critical importance of context

To think about the underlying behavioural challenge and the behavioural journey both existing and desired

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To understand the architecture of trust and

the short cuts we can take to build it

Present choice / design choice architecture Prime and subconsciously

influence behaviour

Nudge and steer conversion – from websites journeys to call

centres scripting to M&AGain those critical

behavioural footholds [get noticed]

To communicate more cognitively sensitively to the brain two modes of thinking [system1 and

system 2]

Behavioural led research using these frameworks can impact and inspire news ways to…

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New behavioural models and concepts are being embraced in behavioural research

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